The Science of Pokemon
by Jerem6401
Summary: Professor Oak leads a class teaching all the things people don't know about Pokemon. What will you learn?


"Hello. My name is Samuel Oak. I am the leading mind in Pokemon research in the Kanto region. Now, you might be wondering why you're here. The answer is simple. Knowledge. You can't be a successful trainer without first taking these courses. Everyone in Kanto takes this class, and without it, you could put yourself in real danger. Now, there are a lot of rumors and speculation around Pokemon and they're history, and I'm here to try and clear up some of that information."

"Let's start with what a Pokemon actually is, and how they came to be. What is the difference between a rat and a Rattata? Pokemon are not animals. For one thing, the brain of a Pokemon is far more advanced than that of an animal. They're capable of full communication with humans, and have proven that they can teach themselves to speak our language with enough work. Their enhanced brain capacity is not the only thing that separates them from common animals, though. Pokemon have an incredible ability to stack and build energy. Millions of years ago, certain animals started to evolve into Pokemon. Not in the way we use the term 'evolve.' I mean more like the way monkeys evolved into humans. Scientists theorize that certain species of animals were on the verge of extinction, due to their young being too weak to defend themselves. Thus, over time, only the strongest newborns were the ones who could survive. After thousands of years, newborns weren't an actual stage anymore. That's where Pokemon began. They do not age. They are born with the capability to fight, and they only die when their energy burns out."

"Now let's talk about evolution. Many people describe evolution in a similar way to a Pokemon 'growing up.' This is accurate… but not in the same way we interpret 'growing up.' There can easily be a Charmander that is much older than a Charmeleon. Like I've stated, Pokemon do not age. So millions of years ago, the only way to stop aging, was to instead center their life around the amount of energy their bodies had built up. Pokemon die when they reach their top limit for energy, meaning a final evolution is not so much the adult version of a Pokemon, but rather a Pokemon that is closer to the end of its life. A Charmander that does absolutely nothing, will live much longer than a Charmander with a trainer. Speaking of which, most people assume that Charmander came first, and then over time, gained the ability to become a Charmeleon. This is also untrue. The first on the scene were the final evolutions. However, to extend their life-time, they evolved the ability to start as smaller, weaker forms, yet still capable of fighting. The smaller form requires less energy, so it doesn't build up as quickly and run out the clock. When too much energy is built up for the body to contain, it will change into a form capable of holding it. That is what we refer to nowadays as 'evolution.' When that form wears out, it might change again. However, when that form wears out, it means the death of the Pokemon."

"However, this rule of evolution is not golden. Not all Pokemon started as their highest evolution. Sometimes the change was forced, and there was nothing they could do about it. Take Paras for example. A small red crab-like insect that spends its time in the woods. Well, it's theorized that a long, long time ago a Paras developed a fungus on its back, that only Parases could get. It gave them nutrition and its poison gave them defense. However, after several Parases got the fungus, it started to change and mutate, until it finally began to envelop and eat the Paras from within. When you see a Parasect, it is not a crab with a mushroom on its back, it is a mushroom, that has taken control of the crab's mind and eaten its body. Very creepy. Or what about a Magneton? Magnemites came first, but the incredible magnetic attraction means when three get too close, they cause a circuit of magnetism that they cannot fight. This magnetism traps a huge amount of Pokemon energy, which is why a Magnemite weighs 13 pounds, but a Magneton weighs ten times that amount."

"So what happens to all this energy after the Pokemon passes away? Well, it's recycled. Many Pokemon feed off of this energy. Mostly psychic Pokemon. The energy is something that we cannot detect without equipment, but the air and water are filled with it. Basically, when Pokemon die, they help every other Pokemon survive. The stronger the Pokemon, the more energy is expelled to be absorbed by others. Some Pokemon, like Alakazam and Hypno, require so much energy that they'll tend to follow Pokemon who are close to the end of their lives, so they can get the full amount of energy they release. However, something else has been known to happen in one very specific species… and it also answers the question of "did all Pokemon evolve from animals?"

"The species I'm referring to is Clefairy. It is widely believed that Clefairy came from another planet. It's obsession with the moon, and moonstone is strange. They can be seen in massive groups, staring up at the sky, like they are imagining the home they used to have. Clefairy and Clefable are a welcome addition to our planet, as one of the friendliest Pokemon you can find. However, when Clefairy came to our planet, they brought something else with them. Whatever planet Clefairy come from, their energy works differently than ours. Instead of expelling into the air when they pass away, the energy has the possibility of manifesting itself into its own form. People have witnessed Clefairy meticulously embalming and burying their dead. It's theorized that the actual decomposition of a deceased Clefairy is what starts this horrible formation. When a Clefairy decomposes, it builds up gas within its body, just like any living creature. However, the strange, foreign energy of a Clefairy, instead of spreading out, contains itself within this gas, and gives it consciousness. This in turn becomes the Pokemon we call Gastly. As it gains more and more energy, it eventually regains its form as a Clefairy, but as a twisted, shadowed version that we call Gengar. In fact, a Haunter can only change into a Gengar after being driven insane by abandonment. Giving it away to another trainer usually does the trick. Being the opposite of the friendliest Pokemon in existence, Gengar are malicious and mentally unstable. It is not unusual for trainers who own Gengars to develop severe mental trauma, or at its worst, just seem to disappear."

"But… let's step away from that and onto a lighter note. Let's talk about the tools of the trade. Pokeballs. That's right. Those red and white balls you see every Pokemon trainer using. But how do they work? Well, despite how common they are, they are incredible pieces of very advanced technology. A Pokeball first has the ability to change size without changing shape. This is done using the very malleable metal the ball is made of, while the technology on the inside of the ball reconfigures itself for capture or release. When a Pokeball is at its smaller size, it is basically in safe mode, meaning it cannot deploy or capture a Pokemon until it is activated. Once it's in use and grows in size, the machinery inside powers up and prepares what we call the PEC, or the Pokemon Energy Condenser. This device sends out millions and millions of radioactive waves. There are not dangerous to us or Pokemon in any way, but they are capable of breaking apart the energy within Pokemon that we discussed earlier. This breaks them apart into molecular particle and condenses them within the Pokeball. While in this stage, Pokemon do not have consciousness, but they do for a few moments before breaking down, which is why they can escape a Pokeball if not weakened enough. So three days in a Pokeball would only feel like a few seconds to a Pokemon. Fascinating, right?"

"How about the Pokemon production plant? That has an interesting story behind it. While this is only legend, the facts seem to back up such an audacious claim. Well… it's rumored that a long time ago, a group of Gastlys and Haunters found their way into the Pokeball production plant. Being very mischievous and playful creatures, they began possessing objects to scare the workers there. One Haunter decided to possess a Pokeball and chase the humans around, just for a laugh. However, once it possessed the Pokeball, the PEC activated, and the Haunter became trapped inside. It cried out for help from its friends, and more ghost Pokemon began to show up and try to release the Haunter. However, in doing so, several went in after it and became trapped as well. Each time making the ball grow slightly larger and denser with pure energy. After a while sitting within, the condensed energy of the Pokemon, mixed with the active technology of the PEC, molded the energy of all those Haunters and Gastlys into a single entity trapped within the large scale Pokeball. This entity is what we now refer to as an Electrode. Once one Electrode was created, it mated with other species until it became established. However, the energy within the Electrode was so high, that they had an extremely short life span. So it eventually developed a pre-evolution, in the form of a Voltorb. Still, the species was dying very quickly, so they developed another defense against this. By expelling excess energy from their bodies in explosive bursts, Voltorb and Electrodes can live for an incredibly long time. This explosive release of energy is what we refer to as a Self-Destruct. It is extremely dangerous, but the Pokemon don't seem to care about that."

"The creation of Voltorb is odd, and people are often upset about it because they claim that Voltorb is 'man-made.' The fact is, Voltorb wasn't created by man, just a piece of it. Being that Pokemon are made of energy, it isn't uncommon for certain objects to absorb enough energy to gain consciousness. In fact, Pokemon energy is magnetic, which is how Magnemites came into play. However, there are indeed Pokemon that are man-made. In fact, there are three. The first was a computer program, that was downloaded into a highly magnetic, metal shell, it was set to absorb the ambient Pokemon energy in the air around it until it could gain its own consciousness. It worked perfectly, and we now know this experimental Pokemon as Porygon. The next man-made Pokemon was an attempted clone of the legendary Pokemon Mew. It is now probably the most powerful Pokemon in existence. This failed experiment was called Mewtwo, and while there is only one, people say it is still hiding in the caves somewhere, waiting for someone strong enough to capture it. But of course, that's just a legend. The final man-made Pokemon is one few people seem to know about. While Mewtwo was a failed clone of Mew… there was another failed clone. One that was so bad, it had no bones, no skin, no muscles, no features… just absolutely nothing.. but it was still conscious. While it still has similar traits to Mew, like its color and weight, they look nothing alike. The only thing that was moderately successful about this clone, was that it was capable of performing a move that, previously, only Mew could do. Transform. It could become any Pokemon it saw. Therefore, we named this Pokemon Ditto."

"That's enough for today's lesson. So until next time, stay safe kids!"


End file.
